The Board found that the veteran's cause of death, squamous cell carcinoma of the pharynx, was not related to his service and did not find any evidence that it was caused or contributed substantially to his death. The preponderance of the evidence is against the appellant's claim.
The deciding factor: There is no competent medical evidence linking the veteran's cause of death (squamous cell carcinoma of the pharynx) to his military service, and the Board found that the cancer was not related to exposure to herbicides in Vietnam as well. The preponderance of the evidence did not support a finding that any service-connected disabilities contributed substantially or materially to the veteran's death.
- Claimed conditions
- squamous cell carcinoma of the pharynx
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 7, 2007
- Citation
- 0706692
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0706692.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for squamous cell carcinoma of the pharynx, finding it at least as likely as not that the condition was caused by exposure to herbicide agents during active duty in Vietnam.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's oropharyngeal cancer is related to herbicide exposure in service. The VA examiner needs to address the Veteran’s history of smoking and quitting.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient information regarding the Veteran's herbicide exposure and HPV status, which are key factors in determining whether his cancer is related to service.
- Denied
The evidence does not support a finding that the Veteran's squamous cell carcinoma of the pharynx is related to his military service, including exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam. The Board finds that the preponderance of the evidence weighs against the claim.
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